English

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All the girls at Eaton House the Manor Girls' School are encouraged to read widely from a range of genres to supplement their reading in class and their studies of class texts. They are welcome to borrow texts from the school library.

The English department is committed to developing the girls' love of reading and their interest in relating the ideas presented in texts to the wider world.

Juniors (KG to Year 2)

English lessons are taught around a wide range of different texts and stimuli, helping the girls to understand the various aspects and functions of writing from an early age. This method helps the girls' understanding of comprehension, grammar and spelling, which is developed through phonics.

Building upon previous learning, the girls start their journey with the English department by following the early years foundation stage. With a focus on the acquisition of literacy skills, the class teachers and their teaching assistants work with the girls as a class, as a small group or as individuals. As they move up through the juniors, the girls are taught basic grammar, punctuation, comprehension and composition skills.

Seniors (Years 3 to 6)

In the senior years, the girls will be challenged to develop their critical literacy skills through a range of comprehension and composition tasks. Offering a creative approach to meeting the needs of the curriculum, English lessons are based on a range of texts, including poetry and non-fiction writing. Each week, the girls will have lessons that focus discretely on grammar, spelling, comprehension and composition, preparing them for the 11+ exams in Year 6. The girls are also tested on a weekly basis on spelling words that they have learned by heart.

Girls in the senior years will be encouraged to enter a range of creative writing competitions each term as part of their extension work. These competitions will be updated as they become available. There are also house competitions linked to the English learning area, for example the Spelling Bee and the Poetry Competition.

Exams

The girls in Years 2 to 6 will complete autumn and summer exams. Year 1 has a summer term exam only. Their class teachers will aid them in the revision process in lessons and will send home revision guides where necessary.